Page 50 of A Redemption for Ulrek

Ulrek

Ulrek froze the moment he opened the door to his room. Delaney’s scent was fresh. Had she decided to visit him? He looked around his room, hoping to see her on his bed. But it was empty. She wasn’t here. He deflated.

He sighed at the sight of the sad-looking kima plant sitting on his table. She must have dropped it off while he was busy training with Berus.

It wasn’t like he needed the training. But fighting the massive male was one of the only ways to stop himself from hunting Delaney down again.

Delaney had left the second she had the chance a few days ago, though Ulrek hadn’t been surprised. She was still fighting the feelings between them. He didn’t blame her. What female would want a disgraced Dominion captain who had the largest bounty ever offered on his head? What female would want the one who’d captained the ship that had stolen people and goods from her home?

He rubbed his chest and the constant tightness there. It was hard to focus on anything else but Delaney. He could never remember what he had to do, but somehow always knew where on his ship she was.

Even Emil had teased him about it, but that had stopped when Ulrek admitted, in the privacy of the ship’s bridge, that it might be a mate bond. Unfulfilled mate bonds were dangerous, and now he wondered if his navigator thought him unfit to captain.

He put his PPC down on the table and picked up the plant. It was only a small section that Delaney had potted up in fresh substrate. The chop and repot hadn’t done anything to make it look better. In fact, it looked like it wouldn’t last the day. He doubted it was worth Delaney’s time to try to recover it at this stage.

He could always see if Ship’s Alive, the depot on Vosthea from which Ulrek ordered all his ship’s live components, had gotten another one in. The owner came from the same planet as Ulrek and had a collection of rare flora from their home. Plants and animals from his home rarely made it when being transported this far out. It had been pure luck that one of them even survived.

He looked over at the plant sadly. Survived for a while, anyway.

Ulrek turned on his PPC, found the greenhouse’s contact, and commed it through the ship system. They had already placed Delaney’s order for the greenroom, and it should be ready for pickup when they get to Vosthea.

“Ulrek. How can I help you? Is this about the order request you put in?”

“Actually, has that shipment with the kima arrived yet? The one I have didn’t like my ship.”

The older male laughed. “They are finicky, for sure. I managed to get the one I kept to grow, but no signs of flowering yet.”

Ulrek recalled the amazing fragrance of the kima flower and suddenly felt achingly homesick, despite having been exploring the galaxy for most of his adult life. Even when he’d been a Dominion Captain, he rarely had the chance to visit his home world. Now, he would never set foot on it again.

“I'm sure you’ll get some soon.”

“You are in luck, Ulrek. The shipment arrived just a few days ago. Not all the plants made it, but I have a kima here if you want a replacement.”

“Yes indeed. Please hold it for me.”

“Of course. But only if you come in to see me and tell me all the adventures you’ve gone on recently.”

“I’ll bore you to death.”

“I highly doubt it.”

Ulrek set a time to pick up everything he needed for the ship, assured the owner of Ship’s Alive he would be there, and disconnected the comm.

They would be in Kean’s compound on Vosthea in a few days, and Ulrek would be able to walk off his ship as himself for once. That tiny but heavily fortified corner of Vosthea was their home base, and they’d be among friends again. They wouldn’t be there long, just enough to refuel, get updated with all the gossip, pick up all the things they needed from the local supply depots, and let his crew have a few days of rest before starting their next mission.

He pulled up the video feed from the ship’s greenroom. Delaney had yet another load of contaminated substrate and plant matter ready to be spaced. She walked over to the panel by the door, probably to call Berus to help her take it to the airlock.

Ulrek connected to the greenroom instead, and the signal chimed just as she reached for the panel. She frowned and took the call.

“Hello?”

Her voice made him smile.

“It’s your captain.”

Her face brightened for a fraction of a second, like she was happy to hear from him, before she rearranged her features. She sighed heavily. “What do you want?”

“So much disrespect and willful insubordination. I should bend you over that bench and spank your ass for defying my last orders.”

---